BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In 2015, ēCO Credit Union created the ēCO Credit Union Foundation to help increase its financial education outreach. The ēCO Credit Union Foundation’s mission is to make financial education resources available to people of all ages and demographics, specifically in the areas served by ēCO Credit Union. Since its start, the ēCO Credit Union Foundation has already reached thousands of people with valuable financial lessons.  
 
In an effort to increase its reach and impact, the ēCO Credit Union Foundation hosted the first Magic City Money Matters Financial Conference. The conference took place on August 8 at Regions Field. During the conference, attendees had the opportunity to hear from CBS 42’s Chief Meteorologist, Ashley Gann, and keynote speaker and author of Broke Millennial, Erin Lowry.  
 
"It was an honor to keynote the inaugural Money Matters Financial Conference and to connect with so many people in the Birmingham area,” said Lowry. “eCO Credit Union really is taking actionable steps to ensure its [members] and wider community are in control of their financial lives, both with its products and now this event. [The] Magic City is fortunate to have ēCO as a resource.” 

From millennial ēCO members seeking to learn how to better handle their finances to educators hoping to learn and grow as they spread financial education in their classroom, the event drew a wide range of attendees. Belinda Patterson, Career Technical Education Supervisor for Jefferson County Schools said, “[Erin Lowry] made a statement ‘You can afford anything, just not everything,’ and I thought that was really important.  This would be great for sharing with students and to help promote goal setting and saving money for the things you really need that are important in your life.”   
 
After the conference, attendees moved to the Home Run Porch to enjoy networking, dinner, and a Barons baseball game. The event was sponsored by: Reckon by Alabama Media Group, CBS 42, Corporate America Credit Union, ēCO Credit Union, Fiserv, Pearce, Bevill, Leesburg, Moore, P.C., and Print Resources. 
 
“We are excited to see the impact the Magic City Money Matters Financial Conference will have in Birmingham,” said Kenny Minton, ēCO Credit Union Foundation President. “We hope to see the event continue to grow and reach more people with valuable information in the years to come.” 
 
To learn more about the ēCO Credit Union Foundation, visit: www.ecocufoundation.org. 
 
 The ēCO Credit Union Foundation is a 501(c)(3). Founded in 2015, the ēCO Credit Union Foundation strives to promote financial literacy through a variety of programs and grants. More information about the ēCO Credit Union Foundation can be accessed at www.ecocufoundation.org.